Eden Hazard facing five game ban after FA charges him with violent conduct

Off: Eden Hazard was sent off for kicking the ball boy and now faces an extended ban (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association over his clash with Swansea ball boy Charlie Morgan this week.

Hazard was sent off during the Capital One Cup clash after kicking out at ball boy Morgan, who refused to return the ball when it went out of play.

The news has since made front and back pages around the world, while 17-year-old Morgan has gone into hiding after receiving death threats from his new army of 100,000 Twitter followers.

The storm looks set to continue for some time, with Hazard now facing an FA charge for violent conduct.

In a statement released this afternoon, the FA said it felt the red card and subsequent three match ban being faced by Hazard did not represent the severity of the incident, while they also reminded clubs of their responsibility to police ball boys.

Careless kicker: Eden Hazard (Picture: Action Images)

‘It is alleged that Hazard’s behaviour in relation to a Swansea City ball boy, for which the player was dismissed in the 78th minute, constituted violent conduct whereby the standard punishment that would otherwise apply was clearly insufficient,’ said the statement.

‘The FA will remind all clubs of their responsibilities in ensuring ball boys and other personnel around the pitch act in an appropriate manner at all times and will liaise with competitions accordingly.’

Hazard has until Tuesday to answer the charges, but it has been suggested that he could face a five match ban – one game more than Blues skipper John Terry received for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

Meanwhile, South Wales Police say they have dropped the investigation into the incident and will be taking no further action.